Tenleytown to Remain Open for Business Despite Blizzard

The impending blizzard set to hit D.C. late Friday and into Saturday has most of the city shutting down. However, many Tenleytown businesses are braving the weather and planning to keep their doors open throughout the storm.

In partnership with Tenleytown Main Street, we walked Wisconsin Avenue from Tenley Circle up to Fessenden Street today to find out which businesses would be welcoming customers – and winter storm Jonas.

Among the restaurants planning to be open are Bread & Salt, Crisp and Juicy, Guapo’s, and Steak ‘n Egg. Staying true to their reputation as a 24-hour diner, the staff at Steak ‘n Egg told us that “we don’t close, even for snow,” while the teams at Crisp and Juicy and Guapo’s just smiled good-naturedly at the quaint idea that they would be closed. At Bread & Salt, owner Mac Bous told us proudly that the restaurant has a generator so even in a power outage he plans to welcome diners.

Diners getting in from the cold at Steak ‘n Egg

Kitty O’Shea’s will be stopping food service around 3:00 p.m. on Friday, but plans to keep the bar open as late as they can. The kitchen will be closed Saturday, too, but expect the bar to open around mid-day. And who won’t need a stiff drink after all that snow?

CVS will stay open throughout weekend.

For those looking to stock up on provisions or who run out mid-storm, CVS will be open for the duration, as will Safeway. Some locals will recall that the Tenleytown Safeway became a bit of a free for all during the 2010 Snowmaggedon. The store manager chuckled when we brought that up, and told us that Safeway had employees confirmed to work Saturday and Sunday. The grocery won’t be getting in any more deliveries, but as of Friday mid-day the shelves were fairly well stocked, excepting the bread aisle which was a wasteland.

When we asked Whole Foods their plans, customer service told us that they won’t make any decisions until the snow starts falling.

And not to forget our four-legged residents, PetMAC DC is also playing their plans by ear, but will stay open as long as they can so pet owners can stock up on supplies. Owner Lori Rolnick told us that in addition to pet food and blankets, they have a good supply of booties to help protect pets’ feet from salt, ice melt, and cold.

Tenleytown is fortunate that many of our business owners and staff live in and around the neighborhood, and that they are willing and able to head out in the snow to open their establishments. Let’s show them our support and gratitude this weekend. You know you are going to be stir crazy after the second foot of snow falls, so strap on some boots – or skis – and make your way to Wisconsin Avenue for a bite to eat, a drink, or some extra goodies. And don’t forget to give an extra thanks to those who are working in our business district.

Given the amount of snow projected and the unpredictability of storms like the one D.C. is expecting, call the businesses listed in this article just to double check their hours before you go out. They are all planning to be open, but Jonas is proving to be a difficult visitor and the safety of employees comes first.